The culture of Vienna at the turn of the 20th century has been examined at length, including many substantial studies of Sigmund Freud, Gustav Mahler, Adolf Loos, Gustav Klimt, and other notable figures of the era. But these studies generally ignore the religious dimension of Viennese modernist culture, implying—if not arguing outright—that "modernism" and "religion" are contrary, even hostile, categories. Historian Robert Weldon Whalen, however, posits here that Viennese modernism, far from being secular, was in fact a deeply spiritual movement. In vivid language Whalen examines this era of "being torn apart and rising again," describing those Viennese who were on the cutting edge of modern art and thought.